Sales of green tea have almost doubled over two years as young people turn
away from English Breakfast towards the healthier alternative, figures show.

According to Mintel, the research company, drinkers spent £22 million on green tea tea-bags last year, up from £12 million in 2009.

One in eight Brits now drink of the ancient Chinese remedy on a weekly basis, Mintel said.

Conversely, sales of ordinary English breakfast tea-bags fell by £7 million last year to £463 million. Although 'builders tea' remains the UK's more popular brew, the number of Brits drinking traditional tea fell to 83 per cent last year, down from 87 per cent the year before.

Young people in particular are embracing the health benefits of green tea.

Last year researchers at Newcastle University found that a cup of green tea a day appeared to protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Green tea could also play a vital role in protecting the body against cancer, is effective in lowering cholesterol levels and has been found to inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots.

Alex Beckett, senior food analyst at Mintel, said: “Green tea, like fruit and herbal teas, has benefited from positive associations with healthiness. Green tea extracts are increasingly found in cosmetic beauty products, raising the profile of green tea in particular.”

Mintel said young people are also the biggest users of loose tea in the UK. It found that 12 per cent of people aged between 25 and 34 make tea in the traditional way with loose tea leaves, compared to 10 per cent of people aged 65 and over.

Mr Beckett said that young people are drawn to the ritual of making tea,

“Tea has an increasingly cool image,” he said.

Ali Silk, the founder of Tea Horse, a tea club that sends its subscribers different types of tea, said that consumers are being more daring in their tastes.

“Where once we loved our old faithful cup of builders, people now want variety and new flavours, to discover exciting tastes that they’ve not tried before – and they want better quality,” said Ms Silk.

She said that green tea has a “multitude” of health benefits, including high levels of antioxidants which help fight a range of illnesses.

Mintel said that the overall tea market forecast to grow by 8 per cent to £708 million between now and 2016.

The biggest loser in Britons’ obsession with exotic teas appears to be hot chocolate. According to Mintel, hot chocolate sales fell by 4 per cent last year to £98 million.